Closure for evaporated-milk cans.



c. H. SCHU'LZE.

CLOSURE FOR EVAPORATED MILK CANS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1915.

Patented July 11, 1916.

CHARLES H. SCHULQZE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CLOSURE FOR EVdPOBATElD-MILK CANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jully ii, rare.

Application filed April 3, 1915. Serial No. 19,017.

To all whom it may concern: .1

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. SCHULZE, a citizen of the'United States, and aresident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and usefiil Improvement in Closures for Evaporated- Milk Cans and the like, of which the following is a specification.

Evaporated milk is commonly marketed in cans whose ends have flanges that fit over the body portion and are soldered thereto.

The milk is usually dispensed directly from" the can from time to time; and for this purpose it'is customary to punch two holes inone end of the can, namely, one openlng for the milk to issue through and the other for air to enter the can.

The present invention relates to a device designed to be attached to the end of a can "they occur, Figure 1 is a plan view of my device applied to a can and with the rota-- table disk in position for the punching of the air and drain holes in the end of the can; Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the rotatable disk in the proper position for dispensing milk from the can; Fig. 3 is a similarview showing the rotatable diskv in position to seal the holes in the endof the can; Fig. 4 is a View of the under side of said device; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the device applied 'to a can and with the disk in the position shown in Fig. 3- and looking in the direction of the arrow in said Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the device on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 7 is a detail view of a plug or stopper together with a portion of the rotatabledisk.

My device comprises a strip or band of resilient sheet metal whose end portions 1 are bent at substantially right angles to the body portion 2 to form a yoke, and the endmost portions 3 of these bent ends are themselves bent inwardly. Preferably the end portions are curved to conform to the curdevice hereyature of the can A to which the device is intended to be attached; and the inwardly bent ends 3 of the legs of the yoke are preferably serrated. The distance between the legs of the yoke is about equal to the overall diameter of the top or end B of the can; and the normal'distance between the serrated ends 3 of said legs is slightly less than the diameter of the body of the can; and the length of said legs is greater than the width of'the flange C on the top or end of the can. In consequence of these proportions and the resiliency of the metal, the yoke may be readily attached to the can by positioning the body portion of the yoke of the can with the serrated ends 3 of its legs bearing against the body of the can and by them pressing the yoke transversely of the can into diametral position.

In the center of the body portion 2 of the yoke is a threaded hole through which works a screw 4: with a knurled. head 5, whereby it may be easily turned. Near its Inner end, this screw has a circumferential groove in which is pivoted or swiveled a metal disk 6, the middle portion of said disk being preferably raised above the outer port1on, and the margin thereof also being raised. When the screw is turned, the distance between the disk and the body of the yoke is increased, with the result that the disk is forced against the top or end of the can, (the resiliency of the metal allowing the yoke to bow upwardly) and also with the result that the serrated ends of the lugs of the yoke are drawn tight against the flange of the top or end of the can. The

device is thereby more tightly attached tothe can, and the disk is frictionally held against the top of the can, but can be turned if suflicient force is used to overcome the friction. The screw 4 may be adjusted to vary the force required to turn the disk.

The disk is provided with a stop 7 (or stops 7-7 arranged to bear against the yoke and thereby limit the range of angular movement of the disk. Preferably the stop consists of a tongue 7 punched up from the body of the disk along a line that coincides with the edge of the yoke in one position,

and the edge of said tongue is located to bear against said yoke when the disk is turned about ninety degrees (90) from its first mentioned position. The disk is also provided with another tongue 7 which primarily constitutes a thumb piece for ma llltl consists of a piece of soft rubber secured to the disk. For this purpose, the plug or stopper is provided with a hollow split ball such as are used for glove fasteners, adapted to pass in compressed condition through a hole in the disk and then expand in the far side. Between each hole and its corresponding stopper or plug is a notch 10 of considerable size extending from the margin inwardly beyond the path of said opening, the two, notches being diametrically opposite.

In practice, the disk is turned to one of its extreme positions; and a sharp instrument is inserted through each of the two holes in the disk and forced through the top or end of the can. The disk is then rotated to bring its notches into register with said holes respectively, whereby the milk may be drained from one of said holes while the other serves as an air hole. The disk is then rotated to its limit, in which position the plugs or stoppers register with and close the respective holes. When the stoppers or plugs are thus in register with the holes, the tightening of the screw 4 will cause the stoppers to seal said holes air tight. Whenever it is desired to remove another portion of milk, the disk is turned back to bring its notches into register withthe holes in the end of the can, and after dispensing the desired amount, the disk is again rotated to seal the can. When the can is entirely emptied of its contents, the device may be detached from the can simply by unscrewing the hand screw and forcing the yoke transversely of the can; where upon it may be a plied to a new can as above described. 1? tops or ends are not all of the same width, it is desirable to make the legs of the yoke long enough to accommodate them to flanges of all ordinary widths. While my device .is specially applicable to cans containing evaporated milk, it is obvious that the device is not characterized by What I claim as my invention is: v 1. A closure for evaporated milk cans and the like comprising a yoke having de- I pending legs with inwardly turned ends,

and a member rotatably mounted on said yoke and means for pressing said member other are s the flanges of the can against the end of the can, said member being provided with a plurality of diametrical- 1y opposite openings.

A closure for-evaporated milk cans and the li'keii-comprising a-g yoke having depending concaved -legs-with" inwardly turned an'd'tootlied erids'janda member rotatably mounted on said yoke in position to bear against the endof-the'can, said member be- .ingprovided with a'plurality of diametrically opposite openings, and means'whereby said member is pressed against the end of the can. i

3. A closure forevaporated milk cans and the like comprising a'yoke having depending legs with inwardly turned ends,and a disk rotatably mounted on said yoke in position to bear against the end of the can,

said disk being provided with a pluralityof diametrically opposite "holes, and; said disk also being provided with diametrically opposite stoppers in circular alinement with said' holes. i

t. A closure for evaporated milk cansand the like comprising. a yoke having depending legs with inwardly turned ends, a screw threadedthrough the middle portion of said yoke, and a disk swiveled on said screw in position to bear. against the end'of the can, said disk'being provided with a plurality of diametrically opposite holes and with diametrically opposite stoppers in circular' almement with said holes.

5. A. closure for evaporated milk cans and the like comprising a yokead'apted for attachment to such can, and a disk rotatably mounted on said yoke, said disk being provided with means for limitin movement of said disk in each direction, said disk being also provided with a pair of diametrically opposite openings adapted to register with certain holes in the can top when the disk is at one limit of its movement, andsaid disk being also provided with diametrically opposite stoppers adapted to register with and close said holes when the disk is at the opposite limit of its movement,

the rotary [said disk having diametrically opposite openings located between each of said first mentioned openings and the adjacent stopper.

tachment to such can, "a threaded screw working through a threaded hole in the middle portion of said yoke, and a disk rotatably mounted on said screw, said disk being provided with means for limiting its rotary movement in each direction, .said disk being also provided with a pair of dis-- metrically opposite o'penings adapted to register with certain openings in the can top when the disk is at one limit of its movement and with diametrically opposite stoppers, adapted to register with and close said holes when the disk is at the opposite limit of its movement, said disk having diametrically opposite openings located between each of said first mentioned openings and the adjacent stopper.

7. The combination with a can Whose end has a flange overlapping the body portion of the can, of a yoke, the ends of whose legs are turned inwardly to engage said flange, and a member rotatably mounted upon said yoke and provided With diametrically opposite openlngs and with diametrically opposite stoppers adapted to close openings in the top of the can.

8. The combination with a can whose end has a flange overlapping the body portion of the can, of a yoke, the ends of whose legs are turned inwardly to engage said flange, a disk rotatably mounted upon said yoke and provided with diametrically opposite openings and with diametrically opposite stoppers adapted to close openings in the top of the can, said yoke having a threaded screw on which said rotatable disk is swiveled.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri this 31st day of March, 1915. i

- CHAS, H. SGHUULZE. 

